Peter Zelinski Editor-in-Chief

Cutting Tools 1 Jul 2002

What's Happening With Cutting Tools

Shops in North America are machining high-value parts, including parts made from difficult-to-machine metals, as a larger share of their workload. When the MMS editors recently listed topics related to cutting tools that we intend to watch closely, we found this one factor—difficulty—at the heart of much of what is changing about shops' use of tooling.

Holemaking 15 Jun 2002

The Role Of Balance In High Speed Finish Boring

Precision boring is particularly vulnerable to unbalance, but not every high speed boring application demands a balanceable tool.

19 May 2002

Choosing The Playing Field

Japan is a net exporter of machine tools. The United States is a net importer of machine tools.

Basics 15 Apr 2002

Empowering The Programmer

A project aimed at making military aircraft parts faster shows just how much productivity gain can come from automating the programmer's repetitive tasks.

1 Apr 2002

The Busche Machining Consortium

Most manufacturers that outsource machining work would prefer to deal with just one supplier. Nick Busche has heard this from customers, and he has also seen it in their RFQs.

Holemaking 15 Mar 2002

Small-Diameter Drilling Under Scrutiny

Today's smooth-running high rpm spindles not only allow shops to cut faster with standard tool designs, they also unlock the potential of tiny tools.

Horizontal Machining Centers 15 Mar 2002

The Long View On Short-Run Work

This shop doesn’t know what parts it will machine tomorrow, but it has a good idea who its customers will be well into the future.

Basics 1 Mar 2002

Roundness Not Required

How would you machine this part? The answer seems obvious. The square part fits nicely in a vise.

Workforce Development 15 Feb 2002

Low-Cost Labor Savings

These productivity enhancements all were produced in house.

5 Feb 2002

Shops And Presidents

Sometimes the most constructive way to deal with difficult times is by making a change. For a manufacturing business, that may mean a change in the process or a change in the sorts of customers the company pursues.

Aerospace 15 Jan 2002

Better HSM For Big Parts

'High speed machining' is accepted and commonplace in many shops. HSM is so widely used, in fact, that its acceptance is beginning to affect the design of machine tools.

Shop Management Software 15 Jan 2002

The Hidden Costs Of Cutting Tools

This shop brought the hidden costs down by paying close attention to tool inventory.